T  J 


UC-NRLF 


SB    SET    SOD 


,dcQmotive 
Lubrication 


e\) 

vO 
CO 

o 


LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


GIFT    OF 


Class 


Locomotive  Lubrication 


By 
W.J.  SCH LACKS 

\\ 


Published  by 

McCORD  AND  COMPANY 
Chicago     New  York 


<    ff  ,  t,  r.«  e«€..;  ,    Qopyright.1911 
"  WEX  COMPANY 

Chicago,  111. 


PREFACE 

A  better  understanding  of  railway  devices  by 
the  employe  handling  them,  works  for  economy 
in  railway  service.  This  book  on  Locomotive 
Lubrication  is  written  for  the  express  purpose  of 
bringing  about  a  better  understanding  of  this  very 
important  subject. 

Furthermore,  a  device  such  as  the  Locomotive 
Force  Feed  Lubricator,  which  needs  practically 
no  attention  from  the  engineer,  reaches  the  highest 
efficiency  in  economy,  in  that  it  does  not  lubricate 
per  unit  of  time,  but  in  per  unit  of  work  done  by 
the  locomotive. 


226072 


Locomotive  Lubrication 

The  aim  of  good  lubrication  is  the  reduction  of 
friction  to  a  minimum. 

The  object  of  this  work  is  to  provide  motive  power 
men  with  a  basis  for  design,  supervision  and  regula- 
tion of  lubrication  on  locomotives,  and  it  is  hoped  that 
the  information  on  this  subject,  based  on  the  results 
of  experiments,  will  assist  in  overcoming  some  of  the 
obstacles  met  with  in  locomotive  lubrication. 

Friction. 

Friction  is  the  force  that  acts  between  two  sub- 
stances in  contact,  opposing  their  sliding  one  on  the 
other,  and  is  caused  by  the  irregular  surfaces  of  the 
two  bodies  interlocking.  Under  the  microscope  these 
irregular  surfaces  appear  interlocked  somewhat  as 
shown  in  the  following  illustration: 


The-  CQefftcjent  ,of  friction  is  the  ratio  of  the  force, 
required  'to  ' ''slide  :a  <bd>dy.  &16ng  a  liorizontal  plane  sur- 
face to  the  weight  of  the  body. 

From  the  definition  of  friction  it  is  evident  that  it 
is  a  loss  of  power  in  operation  of  the  locomotive,  and 
its  reduction,  therefore,  must  be  considered  primarily 
in  connection  with  the  cost  of  maintenance,  operation 
and  delays,  and  the  safety  of  transportation. 

Conditions  Affecting  Friction. 

The  amount  of  friction  depends: 

First — On  the  nature  of  the  substances  in  contact; 

Second — On  the  pressure  with  which  these  two  sub- 
stances are  held  in  contact ; 

Third — The  speed  of  their  moving,  one  on  the  other; 

Fourth — The  temperature  of  the  substances  in  con- 
tact ; 

Fifth — The  substance  between  the  two,  put  there  to 
reduce  the  amount  of  friction. 

Established  Laws  of  Friction. 

First:  With  substances  in  contact  variable  and 
all  other  conditions  constant  there  is  no  fixed  law,  the 
amount  of  friction  depending  on  the  nature  of  sub- 
stances in  contact. 

Second:  With  varying  pressures  and  all  other  con- 
ditions constant,  friction  increases  directly  with  the 
pressure. 

Third:  With  speed  variable  and  all  other  con- 
ditions constant,  the  friction  decreases  at  speeds  from 
10  ft.  to  100  ft.  per  minute,  but  at  higher  speeds  it  is 


nearly  directly  proportionate  to  the  square  root  of 
the  speed. 

Fourth.  With  varying  temperature,  and  all  other 
conditions  constant,  the  amount  of  friction  decreases 
as  temperature  rises  until  abrasion  takes  place. 

Fifth:  "With  substances  to  reduce  friction  variable 
and  all  other  conditions  constant,  these  is  no  fixed 
law,  the  amount  of  friction  depending  on  the  nature 
of  substance  used  as  lubricant. 

Friction — Lubricants. 

The  lubricants  used  in  locomotive  practice  consist 
of  different  oils,  grease,  graphite  and  lead  used  sep- 
arately or  in  combination.  It  has  been  found  that 
each  of  these  has  certain  advantages  over  the  others 
for  the  lubrication  of  different  parts  of  the  locomotive 
mechanism.  The  general  qualifications  of  a  good  lu- 
bricant are  given  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Bailey,  in  Proc.  Inst., 
C.  E.,  vol.  xlv.,  p.  372,  and  are  as  follows : 

1.  Sufficient  body  to  keep  the  surfaces  free  from 
contact  under  maximum  pressure. 

2.  The   greatest   possible   fluidity   consistent   with 
the  foregoing  condition. 

3.  The  lowest  possible  coefficient  of  friction,  which 
in  bath  lubrication  would  be  for  fluid  friction  approxi- 
mately. 

4.  The  greatest  capacity  for  storing  and  carrying 
away  heat. 

5.  A  high  temperature  of  decomposition. 

6.  Power  to  resist  oxidation  or  the  action  of  the 
atmosphere. 


7.  Freedom  from  corrosive  action  on  the  metals 
upon  which  based. 

Lubricating  material  made  up  of  any  number  of 
elements  having  independent  qualifications,  must  be  a 
homogeneous  whole  and  remain  so  under  the  condi- 
tions surrounding  the  problem. 

In  considering  qualifications  Nos.  1  and  2,  the  cohe- 
siveness,  or  viscosity,  of  the  lubricant  must  be  sufficient 
to  prevent  the  separation  of  its  particles,  and  the  ad- 
hesion of  the  lubricant  must  be  sufficient  to  enable  it  to 
cling  to  the  bearing  surfaces.  A  lubricant  having 
greater  adhesion  or  cohesion  than  the  above  conditions 
require,  will  increase  the  frictional  resistance. 

Considering  the  friction  developed  between  two  sur- 
faces lubricated  in  one  case  with  grease  and  in  the  other 
with  oil,  the  friction  developed  with  grease  is  greater 
than  with  oil  for  the  following  reasons : 

FIRST:  When  the  grease  is  cold,  its  cohesion  is 
greater  than  oil,  and  its  adhesion  to  the  bearing  surfaces 
is  less,  and  consequently  the  coefficient  of  friction  is 
higher. 

SECOND:  "When  the  grease  is  in  a  fluid,  or  semi- 
fluid state,  its  cohesion,  while  less  than  when  solid,  is 
again  greater  than  oil,  and  its  adhesion  to  the  bearing 
surfaces,  while  greater  than  when  solid,  is  again  less 
than  oil,  and  consequently  the  coefficient  of  friction  is  * 
higher;  and  further,  additional  friction  has  to  be  ex- 
pended to  furnish  the  heat  required  to  reduce  the  solid 
grease  to  a  fluid  state. 


It  is  an  undisputed  fact  that  the  generation  of  heat 
by  friction  is  an  extravagant  method. 

An  abstract  of  a  brief  historical  review  of  lubricants, 
that  have  been  used  in  locomotive  practice,  as  given  in 
the  American  Railway  Master  Mechanics'  Proceedings, 
Vol.  42,  1909,  follows: 

"In  the  early  years  vegetable  oils  (principally  olive 
oils)  were  used  for  machine  lubrication  in  Europe, 
and,  although  history  is  vague  on  this  subject,  it  is 
fair  to  assume  that  the  first  steam  locomotives  were 
lubricated  with  oils  of  this  kind." 

"  There  have  been  times  in  the  history  of  steam 
lubrication  when  anything  of  a  greasy  nature  was  con- 
sidered a  lubricant  and  experimented  with.  In  the 
early  era  of  steam  locomotives  in  this  country  a  rail- 
way publication,  under  the  caption,  'Pork  for  Journal 
Boxes/  stated:  Why  not  use  it?  We  have  asked  50 
railway  men  within  as  many  days  if  they  were  aware 
of  its  success.  On  the  H.  R.  R.  a  car  was  packed  with 
slices  of  fresh  pork,  and  is  today  as  it  was  a  year  ago. 
The  cost  per  box  for  pork  packing,  that  will  stand  at 
least  a  year  will  not  exceed  30  cents. " 

"A  railway  man  who  used  soft  soap  as  a  lubricant 
seemed,  to  say  the  least,  eccentric.  A  standard  auth- 
ority, 'D.  K.  Clark's  Railway  Machinery/  published 
in  1855,  said:  'In  proportion  as  the  bearing  surfaces 
are  fine,  hard  and  polished,  the  more  fluid  may  be  the 
lubricating  material ;  (thus  fine  oil  may  be  used  in- 
stead of  soap.)  It  is  probable  that  concussion  was 
originally  the  inducement  to  use  soap  on  railways  apart 


from    the    difficulty    of    preventing    oil    from    being 
wasted." 

"Antedating  the  use  of  mineral  oil,  cotton  seed  and 
sperm  oil  were  extensively  used,  followed  by  a  more 
general  use  of  lard  oil  for  machine  lubrication  and 
tallow  for  valves  and  cylinders.  As  early  as  1854  a 
firm  in  Philadelphia  introduced  what  they  termed  a 
6  lubricating  grease  adapted  to  use  on  all  classes  of 
running  stock  on  railways.'  They  recommended  it  on 
account  of  its  'freedom  from  gum  or  glutinous  sub- 
stances and  adaptability  to  all  kinds  of  weather.' 

"The  mineral  oils  or  petroleums  were  placed  upon 
the  market  in  the  years  soon  following  and  on  account 
of  their  cheapness  and  superiority  as  a  lubricant  their 
use  became  general.  The  natural  West  Virginia  oil, 
with  its  notable  characteristics  of  a  low  cold  and  a 
high  fire  test,  immediately  found  favor  and  was  con- 
sidered superior  to  sperm.  The  production  of  the  West 
Virginia  oil  was  limited,  and  as  the  demand  rapidly 
increased  the  supply  was  soon  exhausted.  A  manu- 
facturing concern  in  1869  introduced  for  railway  serv- 
ice an  oil  for  external  lubrication,  combining  the  ex- 
cellent qualities  of  nature's  best  lubricating  product 
with  other  ingredients,  producing  an  article  which 
met  all  of  the  requirements  of  the  day;  an  oil  of  low 
cold  and  high  fire  test,  a  gravity  permitting  a  ready, 
flow,  and  the  sustaining  power  for  support  of  the  ever- 
increasing  loads  upon  the  bearing  surfaces.  This  lu- 
bricant has  stood  the  test  of  service  from  the  date  of 
its  introduction  and  is  now  used  on  the  majority  of  the 

10 


railways  of  this  country,  as  well  as  on  many  of  the 
English  and  European  lines." 

"Prior  to  the  introduction  of  mineral  cylinder  oil, 

tallow^  was  the  almost  universal  lubricant  for  valves 

tinl 

and  cylinders.     In  some  few  inst.-inccsjjjj^  oil   mixed 

with  plumbago  was  used,  and  grease  introduced 
through  cups  with  double  stop  cocks  was  tried,  but 
melting  tallow  in  the  old  familiar  tallow  pot  was  prac- 
tically the  universal  practice  for  many  years.  Tallow 
carrying  a  high  percentage  of  acid  was  found  objec- 
tionable, the  acid  attacking  the  metal,  pitting  and  ren- 
dering it  porous  and  weakening  its  structure/' 

"The  superiority  of  an  oil  free  from  acids,  with 
greater  viscosity,  less  liable  to  gum,  and  with  a  higher 
fire  test  to  meet  the  increases  in  temperature  was  fast 
relegating  tallow  to  other  uses.  In  1870  there  was 
placed  upon  the  market  a  cylinder  oil  meeting  all  the 
desired  requirements,  furnished  from  a  source  of  sup- 
ply that  insured  uniformity  in  quality  and  quantity 
to  meet  all  demands.  This  cylinder  oil  has  stood  the 
test  through  all  the  gradation  of  temperature  as  steam 
pressures  have  increased  from  120  to  230  Ibs.,  and 
higher  temperatures  incident  to  the  use  of  superheated 
steam." 

Mr.  Wm.  J.  Walsh  made  a  statement  in  a  paper  on 
"Lubrication  of  Railway  Equipment,"  presented  be- 
fore the  New  England  Railway  Club  which  in  part  is 
as  follows : 

"The  average  running  temperature  of  freight 
trains  is  considered  to  be  80  degrees,  and  the  average 
running  temperature  of  passenger  trains  125  degrees. 

11 


We  learn  from  experience  that  the  proper  gravity  of 
oil  for  the  lubrication  of  all  trains  should  be  about  30 
degrees,  and  as  a  degree  of  gravity  is  lost  at  every  ten 
degrees  advanced  in  heat,  it  is  plain  to  be  seen  that 
should  we  supply  an  oil  for  the  lubrication  of  a  freight 
train  at  80  degrees,  with  a  gravity  of  30  degrees,  and 
if  the  same  lubricant  is  used  on  a  fast-moving  passen- 
ger train  at  125  degrees,  the  gravity  of  the  lubricant 
would  be  reduced  about  5  degrees ;  or,  to  explain  fur- 
ther, if  this  lubricant  at  30  degrees  gravity  is  dense 
enough  to  carry  the  load  at  80  degrees  running  tem- 
perature, it  would  not  be  dense  enough  to  carry  it  at 
125  degrees  running  temperature." 

The  use  of  grease  as  a  locomotive  lubricant  has  been 
proved  by  tests  to  result  in  an  increase  of  friction  over 
oil.  There  have  been  reasons,  however,  for  its  use  in 
locomotive  practice. 

The  successful  operation  of  oil  waste  driving  jour- 
nals requires  the  cellars  to  be  dropped  every  ten  to 
twelve  days,  at  an  actual  labor  cost  of  35c  per  box,  to 
facilitate  inspection  and  repacking  when  necessary. 

The  following  is  quoted  Wit  from  a  paper  by  Mr. 
J.  R.  Alexander,  General  Road  Foreman  of  Engines, 
Pennsylvania  R.  R.,  read  before  the  Railway  Club  of . 
Pittsburg  : 

"The  economical  operation  of  locomotives  also  de- 
mands careful  supervision  of  the  methods  employed  in 
handling  lubricating  oils,  for  surprising  as  it  may  ap- 
pear, there  are  many  men  who  believe  good  lubrication 
can  best  be  obtained  by  quantity  rather  than  quality. 

12 


The  ideal  condition  insuring  perfect  lubrication  on  loco- 
motives is  to  have  a  lubricant,  the  globules  of  which  will 
be  sufficiently  strong,  and  the  mechanical  arrangement 
such  that  the  load  carried  on  the  bearing  will  not  force 
out  the  film  of  oil,  thereby  permitting  metallic  contact. ' ' 

Graphite  is  a  good  lubricant,  especially  under  high 
pressure.  It  is  not  adaptable  to  locomotive  lubrication, 
but  its  use  with  water  or  a  light  oil  as  a  carrying 
medium  presents  possibilities  of  development.  It  gives 
a  low  coefficient  of  friction  with  cast  iron  or  other  po- 
rous materials  by  filling  the  minute  irregularities  in  the 
surfaces,  thus  increasing  the  actual  bearing  area. 

Friction-Bearing  Metals. 

As  has  been  stated  above,  the  nature  of  the  bearing 
metals  determines  the  amount  of  friction  between  them 
when  other  conditions  are  constant.  While  there  is  no 
certain  relation  between  the  molecular  structure  of  the 
bearing  and  friction,  it  is  generally  true  that  the  harder 
and  smoother  or  more  polished  the  metals,  the  lower  is 
the  friction  developed,  due  to  the  surfaces  of  the  metals 
having  fewer  irregularities  to  interlock  or  overlap  each 
other.  With  metals  harder  than  brass  for  bearings, 
such  as  cast  iron,  a  journal  is  more  liable  to  cut  and 
wear.  Such  bearings  do  not  adjust  themselves  as  read- 
ily to  irregularities  of  the  journals,  and  in  some  cases 
they  are  too  brittle  to  withstand  stresses. 

In  the  June,  1905,  Proceedings  of  the  American  So- 
ciety of  Mechanical  Engineers,  Melvin  Price  stated  his 

13 


conclusions  on  this  question  as  follows:  "An  alloy's 
resistance  performance  seems  to  be  peculiar  to  itself, 
although  there  are  often  partial  similarities.  Investi- 
gation showed  that  there  was  no  definite  law  between 
friction  and  the  structure  of  alloys." 

The  desired  qualities  of  soft  and  hard  bearing 
metals  are  ably  discussed  in  a  report  by  Prof.  R.  C. 
Carpenter  in  Vol.  27  of  the  Society  of  Mechanical  Engi- 
neers on  "Locomotive  Bearings,"  from  which  we  quote 
the  following: 

Desired  Qualities. 

"The  qualities  which  a  bearing  metal  should  have 
in  order  to  be  satisfactory  are  quite  varied  in  nature, 
and  in  some  respects  somewhat  contradictory.  The 
bearing  metal  should  first  of  all  be  one  that  has  con- 
siderable adhesion  for  a  lubricant  and  is  readily  wetted 
by  it.  It  should  also  be  softer  than  the  shaft  which  it 
supports,  so  that  in  case  of  lack  of  lubrication,  or  in 
case  hard  gritty  materials  get  in  the  bearing,  the  bear- 
ing material  would  be  injured  rather  than  the  journal. 
It  should  be  hard  enough,  however,  to  retain  its  shape 
under  any  conditions  of  pressure  or  temperature  which 
are  likely  to  be  imposed  upon  it  by  actual  use.  The 
melting  temperature  of  the  bearing  metal  should  be 
less  than  that  of  the  journal  which  it  supports,  but 
should  not  at  the  same  time  be  readily  melted  by 
changes  in  temperature  which  occur  in  practice.  The 
bearing  metal  when  melted  should  not  possess  the 
property  of  adhering  or  welding  fast  to  the  journal." 

14 


Soft  Metals. 

"For  many  purposes  where  the  pressures  are  low 
and  temperature  not  likely  to  get  high,  a  very  soft 
bearing  metal,  such,  for  instance,  as  may  be  made 
from  85  per  cent  lead  and  15  per  cent  antimony,  is 
excellent.  This  metal  is,  however,  entirely  unsuited 
for  hard  service,  as  it  readily  changes  its  form  with 
increases  of  temperature.  The  bearing  metal  known 
as  genuine  babbitt,  consisting  of  tin  85  to  89  per  cent, 
copper  2  to  5  per  cent,  and  antimony  7  to  10  per  cent, 
is  probably  adapted  to  a  wider  range  of  use  than 
any  other  metal  which  has  ever  been  designed  or  in- 
vented. On  account  of  the  large  amount  of  tin,  this 
metal  is  expensive,  and  there  is  a  great  temptation  to 
palm  off  as  a  substitute  a  metal  containing  a  consider- 
able portion  of  lead.  As  a  result  of  my  experience,  a 
considerable  amount  of  lead  can  be  used,  provided  it 
alloys  perfectly  with  the  other  metals  and  does  not  ren- 
der the  compound  too  soft.  Lead  is,  however,  a  poor 
conductor  of  heat ;  for  a  given  condition  of  lubrication 
and  work  performed,  a  bearing  metal  containing  much 
lead  is  likely  to  run  warmer  than  one  containing  other 
metals." 

"The  soft  metals  mentioned  above  possess  the  ad- 
vantage that  they  can  be  easily  melted  and  cast  into 
shape  in  place  as  desired  or  as  needed  for  use  on  the 
journal." 

Hard  Metals. 

"There  are  a  number  of  other  metals  which  have 
a  high  melting  point  and  quite  a  large  coefficient  of 

15 


contraction  which,  if  used  for  bearing  metals,  must 
be  cast  in  separate  moulds  and  finished  on  machine 
tools  before  applying.  These  metals  vary  in  hardness 
to  a  considerable  extent,  the  phosphor  bronze  being 
probably  the  hardest  and  the  yellow  brasses  the  soft- 
est. I  made  extensive  experiments  with  a  bearing 
metal  of  this  class  consisting  of  an  alloy  of  aluminum, 
zinc  and  copper,  the  zinc  being  largely  in  excess  of 
the  other  ingredients.  That  alloy  was  very  satisfac- 
tory when  zinc  of  the  proper  purity  could  be  obtained, 
but  was  so  much  affected  by  the  impurities  likely  to 
be  found  in  zinc  that  it  was  frequently  quite  unsatis- 
factory in  practice.'' 

"I  have  found  that  a  mixture  consisting  of  50  per 
cent  of  aluminum,  25  per  cent  of  zinc  and  25  per  cent 
of  tin  forms  an  alloy  which  has  many  excellent  prop- 
erties as  a  bearing  metal.  It  is  light  in  weight,  has 
a  fair  degree  of  hardness,  a  moderately  high  melting 
point,  and,  so  far  as  I  can  determine  from  laboratory 
experiments  and  some  practical  applications,  is  a  su- 
perior metal  for  certain  kinds  of  bearings." 

Conclusion. 

"From  the  uncertain  nature  of  our  methods  of 
testing  and  from  the  varied  conditions  under  which 
bearing  metals  are  used,  it  is  easy  to  understand  the 
differences  of  opinion  which  are  held  by  various  en- 
gineers regarding  the  quality  of  the  same  bearing  ma- 
terial. This  fact  also  probably  explains  the  reasons 
why  such  a  variety  of  prices  and  grades  of  bearing 
metal  can  be  marketed." 

16 


"In  my  opinion  there  is  no  possible  criterion,  no 
single  definition  or  specification,  which  can  adequately 
describe  a  bearing  metal  which  shall  be  universally 
satisfactory  for  all  work  and  conditions. ' ' 

Different  Brass  and  Babbitt  Mixtures. 

Very  good  results  are  obtained  with  brass  bearings 
of  the  following  composition : 

Copper  not  less  than 79% 

Lead  not  less  than 9 


Total  softening  elements 88% 

Tin  not  to  exceed 10% 

Zinc   not  to  exceed 2% 

Total   hardening   elements 12% 


100% 


A  good  babbitt  metal  for  lining  car  journal  brasses 
is:  Lead  .........................  78% 


Antimony 

Tin     .........  ................   3% 

100% 

A  good  metal  for  piston  rod  and  valve  stem  pack- 

is:      Lead    ........................  86% 

Antimony    ....................  12% 

Tin     .........................   2% 

100% 

17 


* 

W* 

.2  ^ 

—  '5  ^2 

'?  ^ 

^  5  v< 

^  G 

g'C 

fs|j 

i 

M 

1 
be 

.  a  ftll 

0 



.5*0  a      "° 

0 

X 

^  aS 

Ji.1    - 
"     8.S.9  8    . 

o 

Sfi.G  

0)  ^  3'^2 

$ 

W2    05 

~_        §.rtoQ- 

1 

~£ 

|| 

§      x 

|.| 

cc 

a    1         « 

5    C 

^ 

3      o3 

5      >          K*< 

3 

,     |          ° 

O 
_y 

rt-Q  ° 

3   ^    PQ 

£ 

D 
> 

O          W 

CD 

'i 

OJ 

T3 

H        o 
5        ^            .    > 

o 

X 

5  £ 

3        PH         '*•* 

w 

as  03 

^        CD 

:  *    o 

••  s 

1  £ 

11 

o  "as 

*j  w 

<r3 

.sis 

M    3JC 

bX) 

G 

to 

as 
u 

1 

"cc 

to 

IG 

OJ^H 

P«H 

jQ 

i                          "w  'S 

O 

«  

G                              fe  ^ 

0) 

"S  3 

rH 

•-  1 

c.2, 

^ 

1 

"55  to 

•a 

^§»                    x:g 

«                     ^J 

si 

3 

°.2 

—  ^-« 

D  £ 

*t;  JD 

O  nJ 

^ 

C  ^ 

18 

Lubrication — Driving  Journals. 

Tests  have  been  made  proving  that  driving  journal 
friction  increases' proportionately  as  the  distance  trav- 
eled after  oiling. 

The  lubrication  of  driving  journals  with  oil  by 
cups  and  cellars  caused  so  much  trouble  in  locomotive 
operation,  due  to  the  increase  in  length  of  runs,  periph- 
eral speeds  and  bearing  pressures  combined  with  the 
lack  of  a  regular  feed  of  the  lubricant,  that  grease  was 
resorted  to  by  some  railroads  because  it  afforded  a 
positive  feed,  which  materially  reduced  the  annoyances 
and  expense  of  hot  driving  journals. 

When  the  first  experiments  were  made  with  grease 
it  was  found  that  the  grease  cellars,  with  the  usual 
oil-hole  left  in  the  top  of  box  and  with  the  brasses  fit- 
ting the  journal  as  snugly  as  was  the  practice  with 
oil,  would  not  give  satisfactory  results.  In  these  ex- 
periments it  was  found  that  the  grease  was  forced  out 
through  the  hole  in  the  top  of  the  box.  In  a  number 
of  instances  wooden  plugs  were  driven  in  the  holes  to 
prevent  this,  but  the  pressure  exerted  by  the  revolving 
journal  forced  these  plugs  out,  demonstrating  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  pressure  thus  generated.  One  explanation 
,  of  this  pressure  is  that  the  revolving  journal  in  generat- 
ing pressure  acts  like  a  paddle-fan  water  wheel  re- 
versed in  that  the  minute  irregularities  on  the  surface 
of  the  journal  fill  with  the  lubricant  and  carry  it  to 
the  pressure  side  of  the  brass  where  it  adds  to  the 
amount  previously  taken  up  and  retained ;  a  kind  of 
cumulative  pressure  which  continues  until  the  pressure 

19 


has  reached  a  point  that  will  not  permit  more  grease 
entering  between  the  journal  and  the  bearing. 

After  these  grease  difficulties  were  overcome,  the 
loss  of  tractive  force,  with  the  consequent  higher  cost 
of  operation  per  ton  mile  hastened  the  perfection  of 
the  automatic  oil  force  feed  lubricator  for  journal 
lubrication. 

The  following  is  another  quotation  from  Mr.  J.  R. 
Alexander's  paper: 

"Driving  box  lubrication  is  obtained  by  means  of  a 
supply  of  oil  from  both  top  and  bottom  of  the  journal, 
while  tender  and  car  journals  depend  altogether  on  the 
supply  of  lubricant  from  the  under  side.  In  either  case, 
however,  it  is  essential  that  the  packing  in  journal  box 
cellars  be  maintained  in  good  condition,  and  to  this 
end  it  is  necessary  that  a  good  quality  of  wool  waste,  or 
other  suitable  material,  be  provided  and  same  prepared 
for  use  by  being  submerged  in  oil  for  not  less  than  48 
hours,  after  which  the  waste  should  be  drained  of  free 
oil  in  excess  of  4  Ib.  oil  per  pound  of  waste,  and  fur- 
nished to  inspectors  well  loosened  up  and  not  wrapped 
up  tightly  in  balls.  In  packing  journal  boxes  it  is  a 
great  mistake  to  have  the  waste  contain  too  much  free 
cil,  as  this  makes  it  impossible  to  pack  sufficiently  tight 
under  the  journal  to  prevent  pounding  down  after  loco-> 
motive  or  car  is  in  motion.  Dust  guards  at  back  of 
journal  boxes  should  be  maintained  in  good  condition 
and  the  packing  kept  firmly  set  up  to  the  journal  at  the  ' 
rear  of  the  box.  At  the  sides  the  waste  should  not  be 
allowed  to  extend  above  the  center  line  of  the  journal, 
for  if  the  waste  is  allowed  to  pack  against  the  rising  side 

20 


of  the  bearing  it  will  soon  become  glazed  and  act  as  a 
wiper,  and  is  very  likely  to  clean  the  journal  free  of  oil, 
preventing  it  from  passing  under  the  bearing.  The 
best  results  and  with  considerable  economy  in  the  amount 
of  oil  and  waste,  will  be  obtained  by  having  locomotive 
and  tender  journal  box  cellars  not  more  than  2^  in. 
deep,  as  experience  proves  that  capillary  attraction  will 
not  bring  sufficient  oil  through  waste  from  a  greater 
depth/7 

In  reference  to  the  above  it  might  be  stated  that  aver- 
age wool  waste  under  most  favorable  conditions  seldom 
absorbs  over  3  Ib.  oil  to  1  Ib.  waste. 

Lubrication — Valves  and  Cylinders. 

The  question  of  internal  lubrication  has  been  given 
additional  consideration  in  recent  years,  due  to  in- 
creasing difficulties  met  with  in  high  steam  pressures, 
and  superheated  steam  with  irregular  lubrication. 

The  lubrication  of  valves  and  cylinders  to  be  effect- 
ive must  be  regular  and  in  proportion  to  speed  and 
cut-off,  because  one  of  the  fundamental  laws  of  fric- 
tion is,  as  previously  stated,  that  it  |^M3£e&  directly 
as  the  speed  of  the  moving  parts  up  to  100  ft.  per 
minute  and  increases  nearly  directly  proportionate 
to  its  square  root  at  greater  speeds.  This  applies  to 
valve  and  cylinder  as  well  as  journal  lubrication. 
Valve  and  cylinder  lubrication  should  be  proportionate 
to  the  cut-off  at  which  the  locomotive  is  working  be- 
cause at  the  longer  cut-off  the  valve  travel  is  greater, 
and  while  piston  travel  is  the  same  the  mean  effective 

21 


pressure  and  consequently  the  temperature  in  the  cyl- 
inder is  greater,  both  of  which  conditions  require  more 
lubricant.  In  addition  to  this  there  is  the  increased 
tendency  to  work  water  at  the  longer  cut-off  when 
starting. 

Driving  journal  lubrication  should  be  proportionate 
to  the  cut-off  for  the  reason  that  at  longer  cut-offs  the 
mean  effective  pressure  in  the  cylinder  is  increased, 
thereby  increasing  the  pressure  on  the  working  sides  of 
the  journal  bearing. 

Relative  to  the  amount  of  lubricant  necessary  the 
Committee  on  Locomotive  Lubrication  of  the  Ameri- 
can Railway  Master  Mechanic's  Association  in  1907 
made  the  following  recommendation : 

' 'Your  committee  feels  that  for  internal  lubrication 
70  miles  per  pint  for  large  freight  locomotives  and  80 
miles  per  pint  for  large  passenger  locomotives  seems 
to  be  the  amount  needed  to  lubricate  properly.  The 
amount  to  each  class  depends  upon  the  speed  at  which 
the  locomotive  is  running;  in  bad  water  districts 
the  oil  allowance  should  be  increased  about  25  per 
cent." 

Lubrication — Superheated  Steam. 

Oil  must  be  fed  regularly  to  overcome  the  difficulty 
of  lubricating  valves  and  cylinders,  in  the  case  of  sup- 
erheated steam,  beause  of  the  loss  of  lubrication  due 
to  the  dryness  and  high  temperature  of  the  steam  it- 
self. The  fact  was  emphasized  in  the  1907  Proceed- 
ings of  the  Traveling  Engineers'  Association,  and  au- 

22 


tomatic  force  feed  lubrication  was  recommended.  The 
fastest  superheated  locomotive  in  the  world  is  lubri- 
cated by  an  automatic  force  feed  system. 

Lubrication — Regular  or  Irregular. 

Irregular  lubrication  necessitates  using  an  exces- 
sive amount  of  oil,  causes  unnecessary  friction  which 
results  in  most  of  the  hot  bearings  and  cut  surfaces, 
and  in  the  case  of  valves  and  cylinders  materially 
affects  the  proper  distribution  of  steam  by  overburden- 
ing the  valve  gear. 

These  conditions  increase  the  cost  of  operation  by 
increasing  coal  consumption  and  by  decreasing  the 
available  power  of  the  locomotive.  The  overtaxing  of 
the  valve  gear  also  causes  more  rapid  wear  of  pins  and 
connections  and  earlier  repairs. 

Methods  of  Lubrication— Hand  Oiling — Oil  Cups. 

At  the  outset  the  moisture  of  low  pressure  steam 
was  depended  upon  to  lubricate  valves  and  cylinders, 
but  soon  oil  cups  were  placed  on  steam  chests, 
and  were  filled  whenever  stops  were  made.  The  next 
step  was  to  place  the  oil  cup  in  the  cab  of  the  loco- 
motive, so  that  it  could  be  operated  by  the  enginemen. 
This  method  of  lubrication  was  nothing  more  than 
hand  oiling,  but  it  was  more  convenient. 

Methods  of  Lubrication— Sight  Feed,  Hydrostatic. 

The  second  step  in  valve  and  cylinder  lubrication, 
taken  about  twenty-five  years  ago,  was  the  introduction 
of  the  hydrostatic  sight  feed  lubricator.  The  principle 

23 


upon  which  it  operates  is,  that  a  column  of  water  under 
boiler  pressure  forces  the  oil  floating  on  top  of  it  into 
cylinder  oil  pipes  leading  to  the  bearing  surfaces.  The 
difference  in  pressure  which  forces  the  oil  is  equivalent 
to  the  weight  of  a  column  of  water  equal  in  height  to 
the  difference  in  levels  of  lubricator  outlet  and  bottom 
of  choke  plug,  less  the  friction  in  the  pipe,  plus  the 
difference  between  boiler  and  steam  chest  pressure. 

Method  of  Lubrication — Force  Feed. 

Force  feed  lubricators  were  perfected  first  for  sta- 
tionary engines  and  automobiles,  and  about  five  years 
ago  the  lubricator  with  automatic  features  was  finally 
designed  for  locomotive  service.  The  European  rail- 
ways have  used  force  feed  lubrication  much  longer, 
but  the  mechanical  construction  of  the  lubricator  did 
not  appeal  to  American  engineers,  especially  on  ac- 
count of  the  increased  consumption  of  oil  due  to  the 
impossibility  of  fine  adjustment  of  feed. 

With  the  modern  American  system  of  automatic  force 
feed  lubrication,  motion  is  obtained  from  some  part  of 
the  valve  mechanism,  the  motion  of  which  is  propor- 
tional to  that  of  the  valve  itself,  and  is  transmitted 
through  a  mechanical  transformer  to  the  lubricator 
proper,  located  in  the  most  convenient  place  on  the 
locomotive.  Individual  pumps  force  the  oil  through 
individual  pipes  to  the  bearings  to  be  lubricated.  The 
lubricator  operates  automatically  only  when  the  engine 
is  running,  and  the  speed  of  the  plungers  in  the  lubri- 
cator is  entirely  dependent  upon  the  travel  of  the 
valve. 

24 


Before  starting  the  locomotive,  after  standing  some 
time,  the  engineman  operates  the  plungers  several  times 
by  the  hand  crank  to  oil  each  bearing  before  moving 
engine.  As  the  pumps  are  capable  of  developing  over 
3,000  Ibs.  pressure,  the  lubrication  is  absolutely  posi- 
tive, the  oil  being  forced  direct  to  the  bearing  surfaces. 
There  is  no  pressure  in  the  reservoir,  which  is  an  assur- 
ance against  accidents,  and  permits  the  filling  of 
the  reservoir  while  the  lubricator  is  in  operation.  The 
amount  of  oil  delivered  to  any  bearing  surface  is  de- 
pendent upon  the  stroke  of  the  individual  pumps  of 
the  lubricator  and  the  feed  may  be  adjusted  from  one 
drop  in  10  strokes  to  20  drops  in  one  stroke  by  chang- 
ing the  stroke  of  the  plungers.  The  feeds  to  the  dif- 
ferent bearings  are  independent  of  one  another  and  are 
regulated  to  suit  the  conditions.  Adjustment  once 
made,  is  maintained  by  locking  the  adjusting  nut. 


The  force  feed  lubricator  is  regulated  on  trial  of 
each  locomotive.  The  mileage  per  pint  of  valve  oil 
will  vary  from  70  to  150,  depending  on  type,  power 
and  speed  of  locomotive,  steam  pressure  and  tempera- 
ture, grade  of  track,  etc. 

Direct  and  regular  lubrication  effects  a  saving  in  oil, 
an  increase  in  engine  efficiency  and  a  decrease  in  the 
wear  of  the  parts  lubricated. 

The  McCord  force  feed  lubricator  does  not  lubricate 
per  unit  of  time,  but  in  per  unit  of  work  performed, 
which  is  not  only  in  direct  proportion  to  the  speed,  but 

25 


also  in  proportion  to  the  cut-off  at  which  the  engine  is 
being  worked.  It  is  automatically  regulated  by  the 
speed  of  the  engine  and  the  position  of  the  reverse 
lever. 

Power  and  Tractive  Force-Lubricants. 

A  good  lubricant  applied  in  regular  sufficient  quanti- 
ties reduces  the  internal  friction  of  a  locomotive  there 
by  increasing  the  effective  tractive  force  and  horse- 
power. The  tests  made  by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  demonstrated 
that  the  use  of  grease  instead  of  oil  on  driving  jour- 
nals, increased  the  friction  per  journal  by  from  75  per 
cent  to  over  100  per  cent,  depending  on  the  peripheral 
speed. 

The  report  of  Prof.  W.  F.  M.  Goss,  printed  in  the 
1906  proceedings  of  the  American  Eailway  Master 
Mechanic 's  Association,  is  here  quoted  in  part : 

"Accepting  the  oil  lubrication  as  a  basis  of  compari- 
son it  appears  that  at  20  miles  an  hour  the  loss  of  power 
resulting  from  the  use  of  grease  is  slight,  so  small  in 
fact  as  to  be  almost  negligible,  but  as  the  speed  is 
increased  the  loss  is  increased  and  at  60  miles  per  hour 
it  amounts  to  from  140  to  160  horsepower.  The  equiv- 
alent coal  loss,  assuming  four  pounds  of  coal  per  horse- 
power hour,  is  something  more  than  500  pounds  per 
hour.  A  summary  of  results  in  form  permitting  easy 
comparisons  is  set  forth  in  the  accompanying  table." 


Speed  of  Engine  20  Miles  an  Hour. 

1.  Pounds  pull  of  the  draw-bar  necessary  to  over- 

come friction  of  the  engine. 

Cold  start  Grease  1,578     Oil  1,435 

Hot    start  Grease  2,222     Oil  1,549 

Average 1,900  1,492 

2.  Tractive  force  lost  by  use  of  grease 408 

3.  Horsepower  lost    21.8 

4.  Coal  lost  per  hour  run  (assuming  4  pounds  per 

horsepower  hour)    87.2 

50  Miles  an  Hour. 

1.  Pounds  pull  at  the  draw-bar  necessary  to  over- 

come friction  of  the  engine. 

Cold  start Grease  1,862     Oil      555 

Hot    start  Grease  1,628     Oil      780 

Average 1,745  667 

2.  Tractive  force  lost  by  use  of  grease 1,078 

3.  Horsepower  lost   143.7 

4.  Coal  lost  per  hour  run  (assuming  4  pounds  per 

horsepower  hour)    574.8 

60  Miles  an  Hour. 

1.     Pounds  pull  at  the  draw-bar  necessary  to  over- 
come friction  of  the  engine. 

Cold  start Grease  1,727     Oil      655 

Hot    start Grease  1,804     Oil      873 

Average 1,765  764 

27 


2.  Tractive  force  lost  by  use  of  grease 1,001 

3.  Horsepower  lost 160.2 

4.  Coal  lost  per  hour  run  (assuming  4  pounds  per 

horsepower  hour)    640.8 

These  tests  were  made  on  an  Atlantic  type  locomo- 
tive with  grease  and  oil  used  in  each  case  on  driving 
journals  and  crank  pins. 

We  are  informed  that  oil  was  fed  to  driving  journals 
by  gravity  through  holes  in  the  top  of  the  driving 
boxes.  These  holes  released  whatever  pressure  the 
revolving  journal  generated ;  thus  relying  for  lubrica- 
tion on  the  little  amount  of  oil  that,  due  to  its  adhesive 
quality,  could  not  be  forced  out  from  between  the  jour- 
nal and  the  bearing. 

The  modern  automatic  force  feed  method  forces  the 
oil  into  the  top  of  the  driving  box  against  the  pressure 
generated  by  the  revolving  journal  and  raises  the  box 
from  the  journal  as  far  as  the  oil  packing  on  the  ends 
of  the  driving  box  will  allow,  thus  separating  the  jour- 
nal and  the  bearing  with  a  thick  film  of  oil.  This  fills 
all  irregularities  in  the  bearing  surfaces,  so  that  the 
actual  bearing  surface  more  closely  approximates  th( 
projected  areas.  It  separates  the  journal  and  bearing 
sufficiently  to  clear  projections  on  one  or  the  other  that 
would  ordinarily  cause  cutting.  There  are  actual  cases 
of  cut  journals  thus  lubricated,  running  as  cool  as  the 
smooth  journals  on  the  same  engine. 

In  experimenting  with  a  driving  box  in  the  labora- 
tory it  was  found  that  a  gauge  piped  to  the  cavity  in 
the  top  of  the  brass  recorded  a  pressure  as  high  as  four 

28 


times  the  bearing  pressure  per  square  inch  that  the 
weight  on  the  bearing  divided  by  the  projected  area 
should  have  given,  which  proves  that  the  actual 
pressure  per  square  inch  is  a  very  different  quantity 
from  that  figured  from  the  projected  area.  The  in- 
creasing of  the  realized  area  by  intervening  a  thick  film 
of  oil  between  the  bearing  and  journal  will  overcome 
troubles  due  to  overloaded  journals. 

With  the  modern  automatic  force-feed  method  of 
lubrication,  the  oil,  in  being  forced  through  the  top  of 
the  box,  is  ready  to  go  to  the  service  or  pressure  side 
of  the  journal  whether  the  engine  is  backing  or  going 
ahead,  and  does  not  have  to  ride  up  the  other  side  first 
and  be  scraped  off  by  the  brass  before  it  has  reached 
the  surface  that  most  needs  the  lubricant. 

For  this  reason  driving  box  brasses  may  be  fitted  up 
without  side  clearance  and  a  tight  fitting  cellar  may  be 
used  to  prevent  any  "pinching"  of  the  journal.  This 
method  gives  the  brass  more  crown  bearing  and  allows 
that  much  more  side-wear  before  the  journal  is  as  loose 
in  the  brass  as  when  driving  boxes  are  fitted  for  grease 
lubrication  from  the  under  side. 

Excessive  side  clearance  or  pound  between  driving 
journals  and  brass  subjects  locomotive  machinery  and 
frames  to  severe  dynamic  stresses  and  this  clearance 
together  with  any  looseness  in  the  rods,  requires  the 
piston  to  move  a  certain  distance  in  taking  up  lost 
motion  before  moving  the  engine.  The  volume  of  steam 
used  in  this  piston  displacement  is  a  dead  loss  and  in 
the  case  of  a  modern  22-inch  consolidation  engine  with 

29 


i/i-inch  total  play  in  the  boxes  and  y8-inch  on  each 
crank  pin,  it  amounts  to  about  225  Ibs.  of  coal  per  hour. 
All  moving  parts  in  a  reciprocating  engine  should 
be  as  devoid  of  lost  motion  as  possible,  for  as  soon  as 
there  is  lost  motion,  the  stress  to  be  resisted  by  the 
pistons,  rods,  crank-pins,  driving  axles  and  frames,  is 
changed  from  a  static  to  a  dynamic  stress,  whose  mag- 
nitude and  effects  (as  was  learned  from  draft  gear 
experiments)  are  extremely  difficult  to  determine. 

A  lubricator  does  not  operate  perfectly  if  it  fails  to 
feed  automatically  in  accordance  with  requirements  of 
the  service,  which  is  in  proportion  to  speed  and  cut-off. 
The  automatic  lubricator  relieves  the  engineman  of  the 
necessity  of  the  care  of  it  and  allows  him  that  time  for 

other  duties.  „       ,     . 

Conclusions. 

One  of  the  chief  aims  in  modern  transportation  is 
a  safe  reduction  in  ton  mile  costs.  A  very  important 
item  entering  into  this  is  locomotive  efficiency,  which 
depends  on  a  number  of  conditions,  one  of  which  is  the 
reduction  of  friction.  This  is  accomplished  by  using 
the  best  lubricant  with  the  best  method  of  applying  it. 

The  automatic  force  feed  system  of  lubrication  does 
not  reduce  the  amount  of  oil  actually  needed  but 
does  reduce  the  waste  of  oil  which  accompanies  other 
methods.  While  the  automatic  force  feed  system  re- 
duces this  waste,  the  principal  benefit  derived  is  a 
more  nearly  constant  coefficient  of  friction  in  the  bear- 
ings lubricated.  This  is  lower  than  the  average  of 
the  varying  coefficients  of  friction  with  any  other 
method. 

30 


Advantages  Derived  by  the  Use  of  McCord  System  of 
Force  Feed  Locomotive  Lubrication. 

1.  Lubrication  is  positive. 

2.  Lubrication  is  proportional  to  valve  travel  and 
therefore  proportional  to  the  work  done  by  the  loco- 
motive. 

3.  When  locomotive  stops,  lubrication  stops. 

4.  Lubricator   pumps   against    a    pressure   of   more 
than  3,000  pounds. 

5.  No  pressure  in  reservoir  insures  against  leakage 
and  accidents  to  enginemen. 

6.  Reservoirs  can  be  filled  while  in  full  operation. 

7.  Each  feed  can  be  adjusted  separately. 

8.  Feed  is  adjustable  from  one  drop  in  10  strokes 
to  20  drops  in  one  stroke. 

9.  Adjustment   of   feeds   once   made,    they   remain 
accurate  and  adequate  under  all  conditions. 

10.  All  moving  parts  are  immersed  in  oil. 

11.  Oil  consumption  is  reduced  and  engine  efficiency 

is  increased. 


31 


Directions  for  Operating  the  McCord  Force  Feed 
Lubricator. 

1.  There  is  no  pressure  in  this  lubricator,   conse- 
quently no  steam  to  be  turned  off  or  no  draining  to 
be  done  before  filling. 

2.  To  fill,  remove  the  filling  cap  and  pour  in  the 
oil  after  it  has  been  heated  sufficiently  to  pour  freely 
through  the  strainer  at  the  filling  hole.     This  may  be 
done  either  when  the  engine  is  standing  or  running. 

3.  Do  not  fill  this  lubricator  with  oil  drained  from 
a  hydrostatic  lubricator,  as  it  will  contain  water. 

4.  Do  not  allow  oil  to  feed  out  below  gauge  line. 

5.  The    feed   is    increased   by    screwing   down   the 
knurled  nuts  on  the  top  of  the  pump  plungers,  and  is 
decreased  by  screwing  them  up. 

6.  The  lubricator  body  should  be  kept  warm  to  the 
touch  so  that  the  oil  will  remain  thin  enough  that  the 
pumps  may  handle  it  easily.    A  heater  chamber  is  pro- 
vided on  the  bottom  of  each  lubricator  into  which  a 
small  amount  of  steam  can  be  admitted  in  cold  weather. 

7.  This  lubricator  operates  automatically  when  the 
engine  is  in  motion,  so  there  is  nothing  to  turn  on  at 
the  beginning  of  a  run  or  to  turn  off  at  the  end  of 
a  run. 

8.  Should  it  be  necessary  to  give  the  engine  more 
oil  than  is  obtained  by  the  automatic  mechanism,  op- 
erate the  hand  crank  on  end  of  lubricator. 

32 


Directions  for  Operating  and  Testing  the  McCord  Locomotive 
Force  Feed  Lubricators. 


To  Put  the  Lubricator  in  Service. 

Remove  the  filling  cap  and  fill  the  lubricator  with 
warm  oil;  disconnect  below  all  the  terminal  check 
valves  and  operate  the  hand  crank  until  oil  appears  at 
the  bottom  of  each  check  valve.  Then  connect  up  each 
terminal  check  valve  and  driving  mechanism  and  the 
lubricator  will  be  ready  for  operation. 

To  Test  Out  the  Lubricator  Should  Any  Trouble 
Be  Reported. 

Disconnect  the  operating  mechanism  at  the  valve 
stem,  operate  the  ratchet  arm  slowly  by  hand,  and  see 
that  the  lubricator  shaft  revolves  with  each  return 
movement  of  the  ratchet  arm. 

Disconnect  all  oil  pipes  at  check  valve  joints.  The 
oil  pipes  should  be  full  of  oil.  If  any  pipe  is  found 
empty  or  only  partially  full  of  oil,  it  is  an  indication 
that  there  is  something  wrong  with  the  check  valve 
or  pump  on  this  oil  line,  or  that  the  oil  pipe  leaks  or  is 
stopped  up. 

Admit  steam  under  the  check  valve.  No  steam 
should  blow  out  at  the  oil  port  connection.  If  there 
should  be  a  leak  here,  remove  the  check  valve  and 
grind  in  the  needle  valve  seat.  Use  powdered  glass  or 
any  grinding  compound  same  as  used  on  air  brake 
work,  but  be  sure  that  this  grinding  is  done  when  the 

33 


valve  is  hot,  as  it  is  under  this  condition  that  the  valve 
should  be  tight.  Be  sure  to  clean  the  check  valve  and 
seat  thoroughly  after  grinding  so  that  no  small  parti- 
cles can  get  under  the  valve  seat  and  cause  leak. 

oteam 
If  the  check  valve  is  flBHH  tight,  disconnect  the  oil 

pipe  connection  at  the  lubricator  pump  and  turn  the 
hand  crank ;  if  oil  shows  at  the  pump  discharge,  the 
pump  is  0.  K.  If  the  pump  does  not  work,  take  it  out 
and  make  sure  that  the  packing  around  the  pump 
plunger  is  tight,  that  there  is  no  waste  or  other  ma- 
terial collected  around  the  pump  suction  pipes,  and 
that  all  the  ball  checks  in  the  pump  are  in  their  proper 
places. 

Pump  kerosene  through  the  pump  to  wash  and  clean 
the  ball  checks  and  seats.  The  plunger  packing  should 
be  elastic  enough  that  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  screw 
the  packing  nuts  down  so  tight  as  to  bind  unnecessar- 
ily on  the  plungers. 

To  determine  if  the  oil  pipe  leaks,  connect  a  pressure 
gauge  on  to  the  end  of  the  oil  pipe  and  operate  the 
lubricator  by  hand.  The  pipe  line  should  hold  a  pres- 
sure of  at  least  300  Ibs.  without  any  variation  on  the 
gauge.  This  is  also  an  absolute  test  that  the  ball  checks 
and  the  packing  in  the  pump  are  tight.  If  there  is  an 
obstruction  in  the  oil  pipe,  no  oil  will  appear  at  the 
end  of  the  pipe  after  the  lubricator  has  been  operated 
by  hand  a  reasonable  length  of  time,  and  further,  the 
lubricator  shaft  will  turn  hard  on  the  down  stroke  of 
the  plunger,  and  oil  will  leak  out  at  the  packing  nut, 
and  at  the  pump  outlet  connection. 

34 


After  doing  work  on  any  or  all  of  the  oil  pipes, 
screw  all  union  joints  tight  and  turn  hand  crank  until 
the  oil  pipes  are  full  of  oil  before  the  engine  goes  out. 
This  is  important.  The  slightest  leak  in  the  whole  sys- 
tem should  be  avoided,  for  it  will  materially  affect  the 
regular  delivery  of  oil. 

The  feed  is  adjusted  by  means  of  the  knurled  nuts 
on  the  top  of  the  pump  plunger.  Screw  these  nuts 
down  to  increase  the  feed  and  screw  them  up  to  de- 
crease the  feed. 

McCORD  AND  COMPANY 

Peoples  Gas  Bldg.  50  Church  Street 

Chicago.  New  York. 


35 


37 


<u 

1 


s 


c    £> 

<L» 

J* 

es    *  - 
<u      c 

O    .2 

ed 
,0 

^Q 

JJ 

£ 

1 

o 


Z        CL        OS        < 


526072 


